Gutfeld on Trump blasting Biden's first month in the White House at CPAC

Former president tears into Biden, GOP critics at the conservative conference; reaction on 'The Five'

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  • Donald Trump Jr Compares CNN’s Brian Stelter to Potato Head – But He Isn’t Fazed: ‘Just More BS Fuel’

    CNN’s Brian Stelter isn’t about ready to let a little thing like a childish comparison to Mr. Potato Head provoke him into a verbal spat with Donald Trump Jr., who tossed out the insult during his speech at CPAC on Saturday. On Sunday’s “Reliable Sources,” Stelter said such flinging of “distractions and dribble” that later spread and grow on social media and right-wing media outlets does what it is intended to do: draw people’s attention away from news stories that are actually important. He pointed out, in particular, how right-wing media outlets have turned the spotlight on trivial stories like the rebranding of Mr. Potato Head as gender-neutral or Disney+ adding disclaimers on some old episodes of “The Muppets” that says the program “includes negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people or cultures.” Also Read: CNN's Brian Stelter Warns That Right-Wing Media Will Continue to Push 'Extremism' After Trump (Video) “There is something wrong when so-called ‘cancel culture’ gets more attention than the troubles that millions of Americans are facing and the importance of a COVID relief bill,” Stelter said. And then there was Trump Jr.’s insult, which Stelter let slide off his back. “I thought of some really cutting responses, some really clever ways to respond, some really clever ways to go viral. But then, I stopped. I didn’t post anything,” Stelter said. “It was just another distraction. He wanted me to respond. This was just more BS fuel for the culture war, and it does not matter. The best thing we can do for each other in this world of tweetstorms is to refuse to be confused by that noise. There’s too much real news going on.” Watch Stelter’s segment about “distractions” in the clip below. CNN’s @brianstelter takes a look at how social media has made it difficult to filter relevant news from distractions: “On the internet, everything looks the same… Warping the public discourse, creating less space for the big stories and the big debates that we need to have.” pic.twitter.com/ze3rwIbnY4 — Reliable Sources (@ReliableSources) February 28, 2021 Read original story Donald Trump Jr Compares CNN’s Brian Stelter to Potato Head – But He Isn’t Fazed: ‘Just More BS Fuel’ At TheWrap

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  • Republican Sen. Sasse slams Nebraska GOP for "weird worship" of Trump after state party rebuke

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  • Balancing Act: Marjorie Taylor Greene wants us to ‘trust the science’ on transgender rights. Here’s the science.

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  • More than a dozen Republicans ditched a vote on the $2 trillion COVID relief bill to attend CPAC

    CPAC proved such a draw, conservative Republicans chose the conference over their constituents. Why it matters: More than a dozen House Republicans voted by proxy on the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill in Washington so they could speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference, known as CPAC. And Sen. Ted Cruz chose to be there instead of his hometown of Houston when President Biden visited to survey storm damage.Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets. Subscribe for freeThe proxy votes were particularly strident, given the GOP sued to stop the practice when Democrats created it to allow safe voting during the coronavirus pandemic.And Cruz's visit to Florida — which, he joked, wasn't as nice as his much-maligned trip to Cancún — cost him the same facetime that Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) got when he greeted and accompanied the president in Texas.White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Friday: "There was neither an invitation nor a request for (Cruz) to attend. There are a number of members of both parties attending and joining the president on the trip."Cruz's office did not offer immediate comment but added later: "Sen. Cruz was was not invited but remains in close contact with state and local officials and is focused on helping ensure there is a full federal response to these storms."The big picture: CPAC attracted a bevy of Republicans across four days, some simply looking for the party limelight and others positioning themselves for the 2024 presidential campaign.All had to tread the fine line between advancing their own interests and paying homage to former President Trump, who delivered Sunday's closing address.The lure of thousands of attendees — and near gavel-to-gavel coverage on Fox News — prompted some to put their personal politics ahead of constituent responsibilities.At least 13 Republicans in Congress who were scheduled to speak at CPAC requested colleagues cast their votes by proxy — a voting procedure allowing House members to vote remotely during the pandemic. Reps. Ted Budd and Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina and Matt Gaetz and Greg Steube of Florida, who were all scheduled to speak at the conference Friday, requested colleagues to vote on their behalf."I am unable to physically attend proceedings in the House Chamber due to the ongoing public health emergency, and I hereby grant the authority to cast my vote by proxy to the Honorable Scott Franklin (FL-15), who has agreed to serve as my proxy," Gaetz wrote in his explanatory letter.Reps. Jim Banks of Indiana, Paul Gosar of Arizona, Mark Green of Tennessee, Darrell Issa and Devin Nunes of California, Ronny Jackson of Texas, Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania, Ralph Norman of South Carolina and Lauren Boebert of Colorado all voted by proxy after being listed as scheduled speakers, CNN reported.A spokesperson for Budd told Yahoo News the congressman still opposes the procedure but was forced to use it because "Democrats rearranged the House schedule with extremely late notice." Budd also donated his day's salary to the North Carolina Restaurant Workers Relief Fund, the spokesperson said.Background: Republicans have been the leading critics of proxy voting, despite their embrace of it over the last few days.Last May, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), 20 other House Republicans and four constituents filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of proxy voting. It was dismissed, but McCarthy filed an appeal.The same day, House Republican Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) urged his conference to forgo proxy voting if members couldn't appear for an in-person vote.“They are encouraged to submit their vote positions for the Congressional Record rather than utilizing the Democrats’ proxy voting scheme,” he wrote.More than a dozen Republicans did not vote on May 27, including Rep. Don Young, effectively disenfranchising the entire state of Alaska. Overall, more than 9 million constituents were not represented on a vote to amend the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978.Republicans aren't alone in some questionable uses of the procedure. Democratic Reps. Charlie Crist and Darren Soto of Florida attended a rocket launch in their home state after requesting to vote by proxy last Congress. While the launch was canceled due to inclement weather, McCarthy blasted the two by posting a copy of their proxy letter next to the photos of Crist and Soto at the event.Editor's note: This story was updated to reflect John Cornyn accompanying the president only in Texas, Jen Psaki’s comment about Ted Cruz neither asking nor being invited on President Biden's trip to Texas, and the Cruz office's explanation he remains in contact with federal officials.Like this article? Get more from Axios and subscribe to Axios Markets for free.